Otago needs better marine protection – DOC

Otago’s marine protection is lagging behind the rest of New Zealand, said Department of Conservation coastal Otago ranger Jim Fyfe.

Otago’s coastal marine area is discussed in DOC’s recent draft Conservation Management Strategy and one issue identified is the protection of representative example’s of Otago’s marine ecosystems and habitats in a network of marine protected areas.

“This would keep our marine environments healthy and ensure our special biodiversity, including the habitats of threatened wildlife, like whakahao/New Zealand sea lions and hōiho/yellow-eyed penguins, survives into the future,” Mr Fyfe said.

The national marine protected areas gaps analysis by DOC and the Ministry of Fisheries in 2011, showed Otago was lagging.

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